Creating a Family Heritage Tribute Book- your grandparents deserve to be remembered!

Have you seen the new show on ABC "Who do you think your are?" where tv stars trace their family history. It is an amazing show where they have found ancestors dating back to the holocaust, the salem witch trials, the Civil War and slavory. It made me start thinking about my own heritage and to get back into searching the stories that make up my family.

I had the great opportunity before my grandmother passed away to sit down with her and ask her questions about her childhood, marrying my grandfather, and her kids. I discovered in that conversation that she actually went on a date with my grandfather's best friend only to discover that she liked my grandfather instead. One of her first jobs was candling eggs, and her two brothers died in their early 20's.  

I thought what better way to preserve my  heritage than to make a tribute book about my grandparents and their  history. I think it is so important for my kids to know where they came from and who their ancestors where. So in my research on Ancestry.com I continued adding names and the family tree just kept growing. I am amazed at the amount of information that is out there. I now know about my great great grandfather who fought in the Civil War and was injured and had to fight for his pension. I have traced one side of the family all the way back to the 1600's and even an ancestor that came over on the Mayflower.

With a new feature on Ancestry.com you can even check to see if you are related to anyone famous. The key is to get your family tree back to around the 1600's. Davey Crockett, John Hancock, John Wayne and Mary Todd Lincoln are a few of the famous names I have found that I am related to. How cool is that and  how cool is it going to be for me to make a tribute book for my kids and include this information with it.

So my point is if you have grandparents, great grandparents or parents and you have not ever asked them questions about their childhood, life etc. even if you don't ever do anything with it- sit them down and interview them. They say when someone dies it is like a library burning down- you will never get that information back. Heritage Makers makes it easy for you to get your book started and organized with the use of story maps. Story maps will help guide you as you write and preserve your most precious memories. It has the questions for you and an example of how to put a book together. As you combine stories and photos you’ll create a valuable treasure that can be shared for many years to come.click here for story maps

The cover of my book

To see my Heritage Tribute Album (a work in progress) you can click here to view it. Remember it is a template and I am just adding my own information and customizing it to make it my own. I can't wait to present this in July at our Family Reunion.

Celebrate the Journey

Her future is so bright...so commemorate the
occasion with storybooks, announcements,
invitations, thank you cards and so much
more click here to begin your graduation
project today.

Fun Family Reunion Ideas

Do you have a family reunion this summer? Here are some great ideas of fun things you can do at your family reunion to strengthen your family’s heritage!

1. Family Treasures Card game: This is a fun family game that has a playing board (laminated poster) that goes with it. To view the instructions click here.

2. I AM a Heritage Maker Activity Book: This is a great way for your kids and their cousins to get to know their heritage in a fun activity book.

3. Personalized Card Deck: Does your family like to play card games? Create your own custom deck of cards with pictures of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. There are lots of templates to choose from in the gallery (rook, old maid, go fish, face cards, etc.)

4. FAMILY LAND: This fun game is just like Candy Land, but with your family name and the family activities you enjoy doing together. It will keep the kids entertained for hours! Also, it has a deck of cards to go with it.

5. Family Cookbook: If you have time before the reunion, have family members send you a favorite recipe and a picture. Put together a family cookbook. Take the cookbook to the reunion and if family members would like a copy, you can take orders. If you don’t have time to put it together before the reunion, have your family bring their picture and favorite recipe to the reunion. Then put the cookbook together later.

6. BINGO: Create your own Bingo cards with pictures of grandparents and other relatives. This is a great way for the young kids to learn the names of their great grandparents.

Make and Take:

Do you need fun craft ideas? Here are some that are simple, fun, and affordable!

Special Memories Box: This is a great way to keep all your favorite cards, notes, letters, etc. all in one place. This is made using 2 12×12 pages and a 7 inch craft box ($2 at Walmart).

Family Clock: Super easy and a great addition to your home. This is made using 1 8×8 page and a 9 inch clock ($4 at Walmart).

Blocks: Create your blocks to say whatever you want. Does your reunion have a theme? If so make a block per family or per kid with the theme or family motto. 1 12×12 page will make 5 blocks. Cut a 2×4 into 7 inch blocks.

Family Tree: Make a 16x20  poster of your family tree. Super Easy just plug your name, dates and even a photo of your ancestor into the premade template.                                                               

Tiles: Create a tile with a picture of an ancestor or of grandma and grandpa that includes one of their favorite sayings. 1 12×12 page can make 4 tiles. Get 4 6×6 tiles at Home Depot or any home improvement store.

Just some ideas that I thought I would share that are unique and would make your reunion extra special. I think it is so important for our kids to remember where they came from and to tell their story.

There's still plenty of time to get your Mother the perfect Mother's Day gift!

Order your Heritage Makers gifts by the date below by 5:00 p.m. mountain daylight time in order to receive items by Mother's Day. That's 4:00 p.m. Pacific, 6:00 p.m. Central, and 7:00 p.m. Eastern times.

Mother's Day
April 22 (USPS/Ground)
April 26 (Two Day)
April 28 (Next Day)

Remember to plan on shipping time if you are having the projects shipped to your home. You'll want to add in some extra time if you are planning on shipping your Mother's Day projects yourself. Orders received after the deadlines cannot be guaranteed.

How Heritage Makers Brings a Family Closer

I found this story and thought I would share it. It brought tears to my eyes and again made me realize how important Heritage Maker's is and the power of storybooking. Enjoy!

REMEMBER ME LIKE THIS

By Sherry Louk

My friend had made a storybook with another company for her father. It was a year in review of her family. When she found out about Heritage Makers’ quality and versatile templates and that I would help her get started, she was super excited.

She talked to her dad about doing a book about her mom who had passed away from cancer seven years ago. He was so impressed with the idea he said he would buy one for her and her two brothers and for himself as Christmas presents.

She gathered photos from him during the week. She told her aunt about it and she asked to add two pages to include her sisters and brothers and she ordered a book, too. Well, that is where the normal story ends.

My friend asked her dad to get more recent photos from her brothers of their families. Not too long after their mother passed, they stopped communicating. Hurt feelings etc. A long painful story, but they hadn't talked in five years. Her father told her he checked with his sons and they wanted to contribute. They forwarded her their email addresses.

One week later she and I put the finishing touches on her Mother's Tribute Storybook “Remember Me Like This.” And a miracle happened. I'm sure her mother prayed because brothers and sisters were speaking again.

Christmas presents couldn't be held till December! They opened them straight away. Two months later my friend and her family went to her little brother's home, out of state, for a long weekend of fall festivities, including visiting a pumpkin patch where they took great pictures. A family was reunited and their warm friendship from childhood rekindled, because of one storybook.

My friend couldn't be more thrilled! Her two kids now know their cousins. And I am overcome with emotion because of the small effort it took to make such a huge change in their family's lives. I'm so happy to be a witness to it. Now that is job satisfaction

now is the time for those stories

This story was written by one of our own Heritage Makers Consultants who thought it was time to write her father's story, little did she now just how important this story was going to be. Here is her story:

When I decided to add a new "grandpa" cornerstone to the Heritage Makers line, I naturally turned to my own father's life for inspiration. He was happy to talk about his younger years and on a recent Christmas visit, my dad and I finished the story-filled book.

Listening to Dad's stories was the highlight of my recent trip to England. I was excited to document this priceless slice of family history. And as he recounted tales of his birth, childhood, and courting years, I realized he was filling in a thousand small details I'd never heard before.

My father was pleased with the finished book and arranged to replace the generic note he'd included on the last page with a personal message for each grandchild. Then he'd have me print copies of the finished books for him to give as surprise gifts the following Christmas.

But within weeks of my visit, my father was hospitalized twice, his health in rapid decline.

I suppose if your father is 88 years old, health set-backs are a fact of life, but my dad had always been so independent and strong, I really thought I still had lots of time with him. And while I should have anticipated it, the news of his death came as a huge shock to me.

I'm so grateful to have had an assignment that prompted me to get my father's story written. I am taking the personalized copies of his book to England with me, when I fly back for his funeral. It will be a much bigger surprise than he had anticipated, but what a priceless legacy for him to leave his grandchildren.


You can create a story of your own grandparents in one of our Cornerstone books in our template gallery.

Early Publishing Special

Are you ready for an incredible publishing special? We've got a wonderful opportunity for you to save HUGE on your Mother's and Father's Day projects.

From April 1 - April 15 you can get 20% off shipping on any item your publish!* Any item, 20% off your shipping! That's an incredible offer! Get your Mother's Day projects finished, graduation gifts, or any other project you've been waiting to publish done now and take advantage of the savings.

*Sale doesn't apply to direct ship greeting cards.

April Pick of the Month

Just in time for Mother's Day...it's the April Pick of the Month! Enjoy swatch books, canvases, and jewelry at incredible prices!